Marks & Spencer pulls chicken, turkey products from Hong Kong shelves over UK food scare
Retailer finds some products sourced from British company embroiled in tainted chicken scandal; other firms urged to check inventory
Food-safety worries in the city grew yesterday as Marks & Spencer removed chicken and turkey products from its shelves after they were found to be sourced from a UK company at the centre of a tainted-poultry scandal.
Two plants of the 2 Sisters group have been accused of handling chickens in an unhygienic manner, by putting birds that had fallen on to the floor back on the production line.
It was also reported that feathers, guts and offal were untreated for hours while production continued, ignoring biosecurity rules. This could cause the spread of , a bacterium that causes food poisoning.
Chicken from these plants were supplied to leading supermarkets in Britain, such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer.
Ko said Marks & Spencer in Hong Kong had imported poultry from 2 Sisters, but it was not from the two plants involved in the scandal.
A spokeswoman for the British retailer said the meat had been fully cooked before being imported into Hong Kong, so it posed "absolutely no risk" to consumers. She said it removed cooked chicken and turkey sandwiches from the stores as a precautionary measure.